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#1
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Recommendation for cordless drill/saw??
I have a big pile of 20 year old cordless drills and saws.
I have a big pile of batteries. Problem is that the batteries that seem to be good don't fit any of the drills... I expect that any "new" batteries for such an old tool were sitting in a container in Arizona for a decade or two and will be crap. Ditto for EBAY and old store stock. I have a battery tab welder and have tried numerous times to make one good pack out of several bad ones. But, when the cells are all 20 years old, they fail quickly. Purchasing new cells is prohibitively expensive. So, might be time for a new drill. Early lithium batteries weren't up to the task. Are the newer ones reliable? Do they use balance chargers? If not, doesn't that guarantee early battery failure? The Kobalt brand has taken the electronics out of the battery pack and put it in the drill. Looks like only three contacts. That seems like a failure sooner than later. Anybody have experience with the Kobalt 24-volt brand at Lowes? They have a $10 lithium battery pack. They have brushless motors. I like the idea, but it seems like a lot more stuff to fail. I'm a light user. I've never had a cordless tool fail. It's ALWAYS the battery. I won't be using it much, so don't need super quality, just want it to work when I need it. I don't want to spend a fortune, so looking at the stuff you get at Lowes or home depot on sale. Recommendations? Thanks |
#2
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Recommendation for cordless drill/saw??
In article , mike wrote:
I have a big pile of 20 year old cordless drills and saws. I have a big pile of batteries. ... I have a DeWalt 12V drill & saw. 20-25 years old (I'd have to check). 4 battery packs: 2 original, 2 ~10 years old. The only battery that can provide any runtime is one of the originals. What I'd like to do is, since these are 12V, is get power from a AC adapter--a corded battery pack. The most ambitious and unachieveable would be to embed the switching power supply electronics inside the battery pack shell. Or, more reasonably, put a connector on the battery pack to receive the barrel plug of a off-the-shelf AC adapter. I've already removed the cells from one dead battery pack and found one gotcha: the pins sticking out of the pack were held in place by the cells. One thing I'm not sure about is how many amps the battery is supposed to deliver so I'd know how powerful of an adapter would be needed. I attempted to test this with a Harbor Freight Free multimeter. I put the probes on the battery pins and immediately smelled smoke and the black wire became too hot to touch. I'd be interested in knowing if anyone has already implemented this idea. m |
#3
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Recommendation for cordless drill/saw??
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#5
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Recommendation for cordless drill/saw??
In article ,
says... (Fake ID) news Apr 2017 08:11:00 GMT in alt.home.repair, wrote: One thing I'm not sure about is how many amps the battery is supposed to deliver so I'd know how powerful of an adapter would be needed. I attempted to test this with a Harbor Freight Free multimeter. I put the probes on the battery pins and immediately smelled smoke and the black wire became too hot to touch. Those meters are piles of ****. Don't trust their readouts! The 4 or 5 that I have seem to be ok for general usage around the house and car. I do have several Fluke meters to compairthem with. When the first poster said he put the meter across the battery to see about the amps, he was using the meter wrong. That meter is only rated for 10 amps. You do not test a battery for amps by placing a meter across it. Those batteries will dump lots of amps out when shorted in that way. Lots more than the 10 amps the meter is reated for. |
#6
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Recommendation for cordless drill/saw??
On 4/4/17 9:56 AM, Ralph Mowery wrote:
In article , says... (Fake ID) news Apr 2017 08:11:00 GMT in alt.home.repair, wrote: One thing I'm not sure about is how many amps the battery is supposed to deliver so I'd know how powerful of an adapter would be needed. I attempted to test this with a Harbor Freight Free multimeter. I put the probes on the battery pins and immediately smelled smoke and the black wire became too hot to touch. Those meters are piles of ****. Don't trust their readouts! The 4 or 5 that I have seem to be ok for general usage around the house and car. I do have several Fluke meters to compairthem with. When the first poster said he put the meter across the battery to see about the amps, he was using the meter wrong. That meter is only rated for 10 amps. You do not test a battery for amps by placing a meter across it. Those batteries will dump lots of amps out when shorted in that way. Lots more than the 10 amps the meter is reated for. Gotta just love these pinheads that use an item the wrong way- or for a purpose it's not designed and intended only to find that, guess what? It malfunctions, breaks, or does harm. From here, the knuckleheads progress rapidly from surprise and alarm to anger and blame-externalization. Eventually this leads to revenge-seeking against the manufacturer or seller. This scenario has put many product liability lawyers' kids through college;-) -- Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained ۬by stupidity. - Hanlon's Razor |
#7
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Recommendation for cordless drill/saw??
On 4/4/17 9:56 AM, Ralph Mowery wrote:
In article , says... (Fake ID) news Apr 2017 08:11:00 GMT in alt.home.repair, wrote: One thing I'm not sure about is how many amps the battery is supposed to deliver so I'd know how powerful of an adapter would be needed. I attempted to test this with a Harbor Freight Free multimeter. I put the probes on the battery pins and immediately smelled smoke and the black wire became too hot to touch. Those meters are piles of ****. Don't trust their readouts! The 4 or 5 that I have seem to be ok for general usage around the house and car. I do have several Fluke meters to compairthem with. When the first poster said he put the meter across the battery to see about the amps, he was using the meter wrong. That meter is only rated for 10 amps. You do not test a battery for amps by placing a meter across it. Those batteries will dump lots of amps out when shorted in that way. Lots more than the 10 amps the meter is reated for. Gotta just love these pinheads that use an item the wrong way- or for a purpose it's not designed and intended only to find that, guess what? It malfunctions, breaks, or does harm. From here, the knuckleheads progress rapidly from surprise and alarm to anger and blame-externalization. Eventually this leads to revenge-seeking against the manufacturer or seller. This scenario has put many product liability lawyers' kids through college;-) -- Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained ۬by stupidity. - Hanlon's Razor |
#8
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Recommendation for cordless drill/saw??
Ralph Mowery
k.net Tue, 04 Apr 2017 13:56:23 GMT in alt.home.repair, wrote: In article , says... (Fake ID) news 04 Apr 2017 08:11:00 GMT in alt.home.repair, wrote: One thing I'm not sure about is how many amps the battery is supposed to deliver so I'd know how powerful of an adapter would be needed. I attempted to test this with a Harbor Freight Free multimeter. I put the probes on the battery pins and immediately smelled smoke and the black wire became too hot to touch. Those meters are piles of ****. Don't trust their readouts! The 4 or 5 that I have seem to be ok for general usage around the house and car. I do have several Fluke meters to compairthem with. I wouldn't rely on them, myself. I've seen them drift too much. One by as much as 30 volts or so. As, reading 30 volts LESS than what was actually on the circuit. Not good. Sometimes, even free, isn't worth having. Fluke's are great meters, but, pricey. I'm still trying to locate a decent and reliable meter that can measure into the thousands for me. I've been on their website, so I've either missed it, or, they don't make one? I don't need a million volts ability mind you, but 10k or so would be very helpful for those rare occasions when I want to get a reliable readout for so called high voltage output. Instead of just knowing it's generating some. I can't test the output of say, a microwave transformer or anything else essentially like those with the meters I've got handy. My fluke isn't a ****ty model, but it's not rated beyond 1000Volts, either. I don't know of any mw transformers or neon sign power supplies (the newer ones aren't really just a transformer, it's actually an electronic power supply that produces 5k+ volts) that produces 1k or less voltage, even if it has no real punch behind it. That includes the itty bitty ballast you don't see common in laptops anymore, or flatpanels for that matter. Most (all?) have switched over to LED backlighting and done away with the cold tubes. When the first poster said he put the meter across the battery to see about the amps, he was using the meter wrong. That meter is only rated for 10 amps. You do not test a battery for amps by placing a meter across it. Those batteries will dump lots of amps out when shorted in that way. Lots more than the 10 amps the meter is reated for. I didn't address that aspect of his post. I thought? it was relative common knowledge, but, that's what I get for assuming. Right? That's usually hard on the battery too. I observed a mechanic (yea, I know.. crazy) do the same thing with a high output GEL battery once. The wire actually caught fire before he could disconnect it. ROFL. The insane aspect was that he had a battery tester on his bench and opted to test with the meter instead. stupid, but, wasn't my decision or my equipment. So... -- I would like to apologize for not having offended you yet. Please be patient. I will get to you shortly. |
#9
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Recommendation for cordless drill/saw??
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#10
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Recommendation for cordless drill/saw??
Ralph Mowery
k.net Tue, 04 Apr 2017 13:56:23 GMT in alt.home.repair, wrote: In article , says... (Fake ID) news 04 Apr 2017 08:11:00 GMT in alt.home.repair, wrote: One thing I'm not sure about is how many amps the battery is supposed to deliver so I'd know how powerful of an adapter would be needed. I attempted to test this with a Harbor Freight Free multimeter. I put the probes on the battery pins and immediately smelled smoke and the black wire became too hot to touch. Those meters are piles of ****. Don't trust their readouts! The 4 or 5 that I have seem to be ok for general usage around the house and car. I do have several Fluke meters to compairthem with. I wouldn't rely on them, myself. I've seen them drift too much. One by as much as 30 volts or so. As, reading 30 volts LESS than what was actually on the circuit. Not good. Sometimes, even free, isn't worth having. Fluke's are great meters, but, pricey. I'm still trying to locate a decent and reliable meter that can measure into the thousands for me. I've been on their website, so I've either missed it, or, they don't make one? I don't need a million volts ability mind you, but 10k or so would be very helpful for those rare occasions when I want to get a reliable readout for so called high voltage output. Instead of just knowing it's generating some. I can't test the output of say, a microwave transformer or anything else essentially like those with the meters I've got handy. My fluke isn't a ****ty model, but it's not rated beyond 1000Volts, either. I don't know of any mw transformers or neon sign power supplies (the newer ones aren't really just a transformer, it's actually an electronic power supply that produces 5k+ volts) that produces 1k or less voltage, even if it has no real punch behind it. That includes the itty bitty ballast you don't see common in laptops anymore, or flatpanels for that matter. Most (all?) have switched over to LED backlighting and done away with the cold tubes. When the first poster said he put the meter across the battery to see about the amps, he was using the meter wrong. That meter is only rated for 10 amps. You do not test a battery for amps by placing a meter across it. Those batteries will dump lots of amps out when shorted in that way. Lots more than the 10 amps the meter is reated for. I didn't address that aspect of his post. I thought? it was relative common knowledge, but, that's what I get for assuming. Right? That's usually hard on the battery too. I observed a mechanic (yea, I know.. crazy) do the same thing with a high output GEL battery once. The wire actually caught fire before he could disconnect it. ROFL. The insane aspect was that he had a battery tester on his bench and opted to test with the meter instead. stupid, but, wasn't my decision or my equipment. So... -- I would like to apologize for not having offended you yet. Please be patient. I will get to you shortly. |
#11
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Recommendation for cordless drill/saw??
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#12
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Recommendation for cordless drill/saw??
On Tuesday, April 4, 2017 at 11:09:04 AM UTC-5, Diesel wrote:
Ralph Mowery k.net Tue, 04 Apr 2017 13:56:23 GMT in alt.home.repair, wrote: In article , says... (Fake ID) news 04 Apr 2017 08:11:00 GMT in alt.home.repair, wrote: One thing I'm not sure about is how many amps the battery is supposed to deliver so I'd know how powerful of an adapter would be needed. I attempted to test this with a Harbor Freight Free multimeter. I put the probes on the battery pins and immediately smelled smoke and the black wire became too hot to touch. Those meters are piles of ****. Don't trust their readouts! The 4 or 5 that I have seem to be ok for general usage around the house and car. I do have several Fluke meters to compairthem with. I wouldn't rely on them, myself. I've seen them drift too much. One by as much as 30 volts or so. As, reading 30 volts LESS than what was actually on the circuit. Not good. Sometimes, even free, isn't worth having. Fluke's are great meters, but, pricey. I'm still trying to locate a decent and reliable meter that can measure into the thousands for me. I've been on their website, so I've either missed it, or, they don't make one? I don't need a million volts ability mind you, but 10k or so would be very helpful for those rare occasions when I want to get a reliable readout for so called high voltage output. Instead of just knowing it's generating some. I can't test the output of say, a microwave transformer or anything else essentially like those with the meters I've got handy. My fluke isn't a ****ty model, but it's not rated beyond 1000Volts, either. I don't know of any mw transformers or neon sign power supplies (the newer ones aren't really just a transformer, it's actually an electronic power supply that produces 5k+ volts) that produces 1k or less voltage, even if it has no real punch behind it. That includes the itty bitty ballast you don't see common in laptops anymore, or flatpanels for that matter. Most (all?) have switched over to LED backlighting and done away with the cold tubes. -- When I worked on CRT TV sets, I had a high voltage accessory probe like the one in the link. ヽ(ヅ)ノ http://en-us.fluke.com/products/all-...ke-80k-40.html [8~{} Uncle Zapped Monster |
#13
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Recommendation for cordless drill/saw??
In article t,
Ralph Mowery wrote: In article , says... (Fake ID) news Apr 2017 08:11:00 GMT in alt.home.repair, wrote: One thing I'm not sure about is how many amps the battery is supposed to deliver so I'd know how powerful of an adapter would be needed. I attempted to test this with a Harbor Freight Free multimeter. I put the probes on the battery pins and immediately smelled smoke and the black wire became too hot to touch. Those meters are piles of ****. Don't trust their readouts! The 4 or 5 that I have seem to be ok for general usage around the house and car. I do have several Fluke meters to compairthem with. When the first poster said he put the meter across the battery to see about the amps, he was using the meter wrong. That meter is only rated for 10 amps. You do not test a battery for amps by placing a meter across it. Those batteries will dump lots of amps out when shorted in that way. Lots more than the 10 amps the meter is reated for. Another way to look at it: if your meter is going to burst into flame, HarborFreight Free is the right choice. The "10 amps" reminds me that the neg probe was plugged into the port labeled "10A", not the regular negative port. The reading with the regular port was too low to be believed, but no fire. So the HF meter wasn't quite as fragile as portrayed, and I don't know much about using it. In any event, powering the tool with an adapter didn't seem viable. |
#14
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Recommendation for cordless drill/saw??
On 04/04/2017 03:02 AM, mike wrote:
I have a big pile of 20 year old cordless drills and saws. I have a big pile of batteries. Problem is that the batteries that seem to be good don't fit any of the drills... [snip] Recommendations? Thanks I too feel your pain. We have two choices, either buy new batteries every 3 years or buy corded tools. And FWIW, the after-market batteries are total junk. |
#15
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Recommendation for cordless drill/saw??
mike news
2017 07:02:49 GMT in alt.home.repair, wrote:
So, might be time for a new drill. Early lithium batteries weren't up to the task. Are the newer ones reliable? Well, I've had a porter cable 12volt lithium drill for several years now. It's still just as dependable as it was when I bought it, new from Lowes. It's got a considerable amount of torque for a 12volt, too. Doesn't weigh much either. I've drilled many holes with it and I can't even count how many screws it's screwed in for me. It's been a great drill for electrical work, I must say. It outperforms several 18volt drills I had; they always burned out on me. The battery packs outlived them. I'm a bit hard on my tools at times, but, that's part of it. I bought this one after I killed my Black and Decker 18volt nicad drill that I always thought was a piece of ****. And, I spent a lot more on that ****ing black and decker than I did the porter cable. LOL! Anybody have experience with the Kobalt 24-volt brand at Lowes? Yes. Strong drill. Torque monster. The impact/driver combo kit was a good purchase for my friend. I don't personally own the kit, but, I've used hers several times. I've sunk some pretty long deck screws with it, no trouble. In fairness, my porter cable 12volt could sink em too. It didn't like it, though. The impact driver is kickass too. They have a $10 lithium battery pack. They have brushless motors. I like the idea, but it seems like a lot more stuff to fail. Brushless digital motors are the new thing. Lots of power for less energy consumption. Milwaukee has been using them for years now. I've had no trouble with them. I won't be using it much, so don't need super quality, just want it to work when I need it. The kobalt should do the job for you, but you didn't specify if you needed the impact driver or the drill. If you can catch the combo on special, it's well worth the 100 or so dollars for both. I don't want to spend a fortune, so looking at the stuff you get at Lowes or home depot on sale. I like kobalts hand tools, and some of their cordless ones, too. And, I really like my porter cable. -- I would like to apologize for not having offended you yet. Please be patient. I will get to you shortly. |
#16
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Recommendation for cordless drill/saw??
On 4/4/2017 3:02 AM, mike wrote:
I have a big pile of 20 year old cordless drills and saws. I have a big pile of batteries. Problem is that the batteries that seem to be good don't fit any of the drills... I expect that any "new" batteries for such an old tool were sitting in a container in Arizona for a decade or two and will be crap. Ditto for EBAY and old store stock. I have a battery tab welder and have tried numerous times to make one good pack out of several bad ones. But, when the cells are all 20 years old, they fail quickly. Purchasing new cells is prohibitively expensive. So, might be time for a new drill. Early lithium batteries weren't up to the task. Are the newer ones reliable? Do they use balance chargers? If not, doesn't that guarantee early battery failure? The Kobalt brand has taken the electronics out of the battery pack and put it in the drill. Looks like only three contacts. That seems like a failure sooner than later. Anybody have experience with the Kobalt 24-volt brand at Lowes? They have a $10 lithium battery pack. They have brushless motors. I like the idea, but it seems like a lot more stuff to fail. I'm a light user. I've never had a cordless tool fail. It's ALWAYS the battery. I won't be using it much, so don't need super quality, just want it to work when I need it. I don't want to spend a fortune, so looking at the stuff you get at Lowes or home depot on sale. Recommendations? Thanks Dewalt |
#17
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Recommendation for cordless drill/saw??
Meanie wrote:
On 4/4/2017 3:02 AM, mike wrote: I have a big pile of 20 year old cordless drills and saws. I have a big pile of batteries. Problem is that the batteries that seem to be good don't fit any of the drills... I expect that any "new" batteries for such an old tool were sitting in a container in Arizona for a decade or two and will be crap. Ditto for EBAY and old store stock. I have a battery tab welder and have tried numerous times to make one good pack out of several bad ones. But, when the cells are all 20 years old, they fail quickly. Purchasing new cells is prohibitively expensive. So, might be time for a new drill. Early lithium batteries weren't up to the task. Are the newer ones reliable? Do they use balance chargers? If not, doesn't that guarantee early battery failure? The Kobalt brand has taken the electronics out of the battery pack and put it in the drill. Looks like only three contacts. That seems like a failure sooner than later. Anybody have experience with the Kobalt 24-volt brand at Lowes? They have a $10 lithium battery pack. They have brushless motors. I like the idea, but it seems like a lot more stuff to fail. I'm a light user. I've never had a cordless tool fail. It's ALWAYS the battery. I won't be using it much, so don't need super quality, just want it to work when I need it. I don't want to spend a fortune, so looking at the stuff you get at Lowes or home depot on sale. Recommendations? Thanks Dewalt I'll second that . I use the older NiCad packs , and they last well if you remember to fully discharge before charging . -- Snag |
#18
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Recommendation for cordless drill/saw??
On 4/4/2017 9:09 AM, Terry Coombs wrote:
Meanie wrote: On 4/4/2017 3:02 AM, mike wrote: I have a big pile of 20 year old cordless drills and saws. I have a big pile of batteries. Problem is that the batteries that seem to be good don't fit any of the drills... I expect that any "new" batteries for such an old tool were sitting in a container in Arizona for a decade or two and will be crap. Ditto for EBAY and old store stock. I have a battery tab welder and have tried numerous times to make one good pack out of several bad ones. But, when the cells are all 20 years old, they fail quickly. Purchasing new cells is prohibitively expensive. So, might be time for a new drill. Early lithium batteries weren't up to the task. Are the newer ones reliable? Do they use balance chargers? If not, doesn't that guarantee early battery failure? The Kobalt brand has taken the electronics out of the battery pack and put it in the drill. Looks like only three contacts. That seems like a failure sooner than later. Anybody have experience with the Kobalt 24-volt brand at Lowes? They have a $10 lithium battery pack. They have brushless motors. I like the idea, but it seems like a lot more stuff to fail. I'm a light user. I've never had a cordless tool fail. It's ALWAYS the battery. I won't be using it much, so don't need super quality, just want it to work when I need it. I don't want to spend a fortune, so looking at the stuff you get at Lowes or home depot on sale. Recommendations? Thanks Dewalt I'll second that . I use the older NiCad packs , and they last well if you remember to fully discharge before charging . Likewise. I use the tools until it doesn't have enough spunk to to the task, then I hold the trigger until the battery drains completely. Probably overkill but I've had them for years now and still going strong. |
#19
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Recommendation for cordless drill/saw??
On 4/4/2017 9:09 AM, Terry Coombs wrote:
Meanie wrote: On 4/4/2017 3:02 AM, mike wrote: I have a big pile of 20 year old cordless drills and saws. I have a big pile of batteries. Problem is that the batteries that seem to be good don't fit any of the drills... I expect that any "new" batteries for such an old tool were sitting in a container in Arizona for a decade or two and will be crap. Ditto for EBAY and old store stock. I have a battery tab welder and have tried numerous times to make one good pack out of several bad ones. But, when the cells are all 20 years old, they fail quickly. Purchasing new cells is prohibitively expensive. So, might be time for a new drill. Early lithium batteries weren't up to the task. Are the newer ones reliable? Do they use balance chargers? If not, doesn't that guarantee early battery failure? The Kobalt brand has taken the electronics out of the battery pack and put it in the drill. Looks like only three contacts. That seems like a failure sooner than later. Anybody have experience with the Kobalt 24-volt brand at Lowes? They have a $10 lithium battery pack. They have brushless motors. I like the idea, but it seems like a lot more stuff to fail. I'm a light user. I've never had a cordless tool fail. It's ALWAYS the battery. I won't be using it much, so don't need super quality, just want it to work when I need it. I don't want to spend a fortune, so looking at the stuff you get at Lowes or home depot on sale. Recommendations? Thanks Dewalt I'll second that . I use the older NiCad packs , and they last well if you remember to fully discharge before charging . Likewise. I use the tools until it doesn't have enough spunk to to the task, then I hold the trigger until the battery drains completely. Probably overkill but I've had them for years now and still going strong. |
#20
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Recommendation for cordless drill/saw??
Meanie news
2017 12:33:48 GMT in alt.home.repair, wrote:
On 4/4/2017 3:02 AM, mike wrote: I have a big pile of 20 year old cordless drills and saws. I have a big pile of batteries. Problem is that the batteries that seem to be good don't fit any of the drills... I expect that any "new" batteries for such an old tool were sitting in a container in Arizona for a decade or two and will be crap. Ditto for EBAY and old store stock. I have a battery tab welder and have tried numerous times to make one good pack out of several bad ones. But, when the cells are all 20 years old, they fail quickly. Purchasing new cells is prohibitively expensive. So, might be time for a new drill. Early lithium batteries weren't up to the task. Are the newer ones reliable? Do they use balance chargers? If not, doesn't that guarantee early battery failure? The Kobalt brand has taken the electronics out of the battery pack and put it in the drill. Looks like only three contacts. That seems like a failure sooner than later. Anybody have experience with the Kobalt 24-volt brand at Lowes? They have a $10 lithium battery pack. They have brushless motors. I like the idea, but it seems like a lot more stuff to fail. I'm a light user. I've never had a cordless tool fail. It's ALWAYS the battery. I won't be using it much, so don't need super quality, just want it to work when I need it. I don't want to spend a fortune, so looking at the stuff you get at Lowes or home depot on sale. Recommendations? Thanks Dewalt When Dewalt was actually Dewalt, sure. Now, they're actually black and decker. And, if you have an impact capable one, it's using plastic (yes, plastic) gears instead of the Metal ones they USED to use. Older Dewalt, good choice. newer Dewalt, black and decker junk. -- I would like to apologize for not having offended you yet. Please be patient. I will get to you shortly. |
#21
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Recommendation for cordless drill/saw??
On 4/4/2017 12:06 PM, Diesel wrote:
Meanie news 2017 12:33:48 GMT in alt.home.repair, wrote: On 4/4/2017 3:02 AM, mike wrote: I have a big pile of 20 year old cordless drills and saws. I have a big pile of batteries. Problem is that the batteries that seem to be good don't fit any of the drills... I expect that any "new" batteries for such an old tool were sitting in a container in Arizona for a decade or two and will be crap. Ditto for EBAY and old store stock. I have a battery tab welder and have tried numerous times to make one good pack out of several bad ones. But, when the cells are all 20 years old, they fail quickly. Purchasing new cells is prohibitively expensive. So, might be time for a new drill. Early lithium batteries weren't up to the task. Are the newer ones reliable? Do they use balance chargers? If not, doesn't that guarantee early battery failure? The Kobalt brand has taken the electronics out of the battery pack and put it in the drill. Looks like only three contacts. That seems like a failure sooner than later. Anybody have experience with the Kobalt 24-volt brand at Lowes? They have a $10 lithium battery pack. They have brushless motors. I like the idea, but it seems like a lot more stuff to fail. I'm a light user. I've never had a cordless tool fail. It's ALWAYS the battery. I won't be using it much, so don't need super quality, just want it to work when I need it. I don't want to spend a fortune, so looking at the stuff you get at Lowes or home depot on sale. Recommendations? Thanks Dewalt When Dewalt was actually Dewalt, sure. Now, they're actually black and decker. And, if you have an impact capable one, it's using plastic (yes, plastic) gears instead of the Metal ones they USED to use. Older Dewalt, good choice. newer Dewalt, black and decker junk. Welcome to the real world where almost everything is being built with plastics or another form of composite material. |
#22
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Recommendation for cordless drill/saw??
Meanie news
2017 12:33:48 GMT in alt.home.repair, wrote:
On 4/4/2017 3:02 AM, mike wrote: I have a big pile of 20 year old cordless drills and saws. I have a big pile of batteries. Problem is that the batteries that seem to be good don't fit any of the drills... I expect that any "new" batteries for such an old tool were sitting in a container in Arizona for a decade or two and will be crap. Ditto for EBAY and old store stock. I have a battery tab welder and have tried numerous times to make one good pack out of several bad ones. But, when the cells are all 20 years old, they fail quickly. Purchasing new cells is prohibitively expensive. So, might be time for a new drill. Early lithium batteries weren't up to the task. Are the newer ones reliable? Do they use balance chargers? If not, doesn't that guarantee early battery failure? The Kobalt brand has taken the electronics out of the battery pack and put it in the drill. Looks like only three contacts. That seems like a failure sooner than later. Anybody have experience with the Kobalt 24-volt brand at Lowes? They have a $10 lithium battery pack. They have brushless motors. I like the idea, but it seems like a lot more stuff to fail. I'm a light user. I've never had a cordless tool fail. It's ALWAYS the battery. I won't be using it much, so don't need super quality, just want it to work when I need it. I don't want to spend a fortune, so looking at the stuff you get at Lowes or home depot on sale. Recommendations? Thanks Dewalt When Dewalt was actually Dewalt, sure. Now, they're actually black and decker. And, if you have an impact capable one, it's using plastic (yes, plastic) gears instead of the Metal ones they USED to use. Older Dewalt, good choice. newer Dewalt, black and decker junk. -- I would like to apologize for not having offended you yet. Please be patient. I will get to you shortly. |
#23
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Recommendation for cordless drill/saw??
On 4/4/2017 12:06 PM, Diesel wrote:
Meanie news 2017 12:33:48 GMT in alt.home.repair, wrote: On 4/4/2017 3:02 AM, mike wrote: I have a big pile of 20 year old cordless drills and saws. I have a big pile of batteries. Problem is that the batteries that seem to be good don't fit any of the drills... I expect that any "new" batteries for such an old tool were sitting in a container in Arizona for a decade or two and will be crap. Ditto for EBAY and old store stock. I have a battery tab welder and have tried numerous times to make one good pack out of several bad ones. But, when the cells are all 20 years old, they fail quickly. Purchasing new cells is prohibitively expensive. So, might be time for a new drill. Early lithium batteries weren't up to the task. Are the newer ones reliable? Do they use balance chargers? If not, doesn't that guarantee early battery failure? The Kobalt brand has taken the electronics out of the battery pack and put it in the drill. Looks like only three contacts. That seems like a failure sooner than later. Anybody have experience with the Kobalt 24-volt brand at Lowes? They have a $10 lithium battery pack. They have brushless motors. I like the idea, but it seems like a lot more stuff to fail. I'm a light user. I've never had a cordless tool fail. It's ALWAYS the battery. I won't be using it much, so don't need super quality, just want it to work when I need it. I don't want to spend a fortune, so looking at the stuff you get at Lowes or home depot on sale. Recommendations? Thanks Dewalt When Dewalt was actually Dewalt, sure. Now, they're actually black and decker. And, if you have an impact capable one, it's using plastic (yes, plastic) gears instead of the Metal ones they USED to use. Older Dewalt, good choice. newer Dewalt, black and decker junk. Welcome to the real world where almost everything is being built with plastics or another form of composite material. |
#24
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Recommendation for cordless drill/saw??
Meanie news
2017 16:13:50 GMT in alt.home.repair, wrote:
Welcome to the real world where almost everything is being built with plastics or another form of composite material. Umm, no. The milwaukee family of impact drills aren't using plastic gears. The porter cables aren't either, afaik. And, depending on the model kobalt (if one so desires to purchase it) doesn't use plastic for the impact driver either. Those manufacturers fully understand that plastic gears won't hold up for any real length of time if the tool is actually used on a daily basis. If you're just screwing off about the home or something, it probably wouldn't make any difference. If you're using it for professional work, as say, an electrician, it does make a difference. A big difference. Mounting boxes to bricks all day via tapcons for a large job will usually result in the premature death of a plastic gear driven impact driver. If you depend on quality tools as a professional, in this case, plastic is a bad choice. I can only assume you're being cheeky, otherwise, you're trolling and doing a poor job of it. Or, you just don't know. -- I would like to apologize for not having offended you yet. Please be patient. I will get to you shortly. |
#25
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Recommendation for cordless drill/saw??
On 04/06/2017 01:03 AM, Diesel wrote:
Meanie news 2017 16:13:50 GMT in alt.home.repair, wrote: Welcome to the real world where almost everything is being built with plastics or another form of composite material. Umm, no. The milwaukee family of impact drills aren't using plastic gears. The porter cables aren't either, afaik. And, depending on the model kobalt (if one so desires to purchase it) doesn't use plastic for the impact driver either. Those manufacturers fully understand that plastic gears won't hold up for any real length of time if the tool is actually used on a daily basis. If you're just screwing off about the home or something, it probably wouldn't make any difference. If you're using it for professional work, as say, an electrician, it does make a difference. A big difference. Mounting boxes to bricks all day via tapcons for a large job will usually result in the premature death of a plastic gear driven impact driver. If you depend on quality tools as a professional, in this case, plastic is a bad choice. I can only assume you're being cheeky, otherwise, you're trolling and doing a poor job of it. Or, you just don't know. |
#26
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Recommendation for cordless drill/saw??
Per mike:
I'm a light user. I've never had a cordless tool fail. It's ALWAYS the battery. I won't be using it much, so don't need super quality, just want it to work when I need it. Lithium is my choice for intermediate/occasional use because it does not self-discharge very much: I can pick up a drill that has been sitting for three months and it will have a full charge. I am committed to Ryobi, but if I were starting from scratch would choose a higher-end line after investigating the conditions of the battery warranty. When one of my Ryobi batteries failed - obviously before it's time - the answer from Home Depot was "Sorry, not covered". I think they based it on the length of time since purchase... but occasional use *does* get you into those situations. IIRC, Home Depot's "DeWalt" line offered a warranty that covered the batteries better. OTOH, after that one failure, I have not had any additional battery problems with Ryobi. -- Pete Cresswell |
#27
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Recommendation for cordless drill/saw??
On 4/4/2017 8:49 AM, (PeteCresswell) wrote:
Per mike: I'm a light user. I've never had a cordless tool fail. It's ALWAYS the battery. I won't be using it much, so don't need super quality, just want it to work when I need it. Lithium is my choice for intermediate/occasional use because it does not self-discharge very much: I can pick up a drill that has been sitting for three months and it will have a full charge. I am committed to Ryobi, but if I were starting from scratch would choose a higher-end line after investigating the conditions of the battery warranty. When one of my Ryobi batteries failed - obviously before it's time - the answer from Home Depot was "Sorry, not covered". I think they based it on the length of time since purchase... but occasional use *does* get you into those situations. IIRC, Home Depot's "DeWalt" line offered a warranty that covered the batteries better. OTOH, after that one failure, I have not had any additional battery problems with Ryobi. My Ridgid from HD has a lifetime battery warranty. |
#28
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Recommendation for cordless drill/saw??
On Tue, 04 Apr 2017 00:02:49 -0700, mike wrote:
I have a big pile of 20 year old cordless drills and saws. I have a big pile of batteries. Problem is that the batteries that seem to be good don't fit any of the drills... I expect that any "new" batteries for such an old tool were sitting in a container in Arizona for a decade or two and will be crap. Ditto for EBAY and old store stock. I have a battery tab welder and have tried numerous times to make one good pack out of several bad ones. But, when the cells are all 20 years old, they fail quickly. Purchasing new cells is prohibitively expensive. So, might be time for a new drill. Early lithium batteries weren't up to the task. Are the newer ones reliable? Do they use balance chargers? If not, doesn't that guarantee early battery failure? The Kobalt brand has taken the electronics out of the battery pack and put it in the drill. Looks like only three contacts. That seems like a failure sooner than later. Anybody have experience with the Kobalt 24-volt brand at Lowes? They have a $10 lithium battery pack. They have brushless motors. I like the idea, but it seems like a lot more stuff to fail. I'm a light user. I've never had a cordless tool fail. It's ALWAYS the battery. I won't be using it much, so don't need super quality, just want it to work when I need it. I don't want to spend a fortune, so looking at the stuff you get at Lowes or home depot on sale. Recommendations? Thanks Bought a Rockwell 3rill sometime back for ~$100. Free replacement batteries for the life of the tool. It does everything I need around the house. Drill/driver/impact modes with two batteries. Bigger jobs I can pull out the corded Milwaukee. https://www.rockwelltools.com/drills-drivers.html Those drills have free batteries for 20 years -- 20V Good luck. |
#29
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Recommendation for cordless drill/saw??
On Tue, 04 Apr 2017 00:02:49 -0700, mike wrote:
I have a big pile of 20 year old cordless drills and saws. I have a big pile of batteries. Problem is that the batteries that seem to be good don't fit any of the drills... I expect that any "new" batteries for such an old tool were sitting in a container in Arizona for a decade or two and will be crap. Ditto for EBAY and old store stock. I have a battery tab welder and have tried numerous times to make one good pack out of several bad ones. But, when the cells are all 20 years old, they fail quickly. Purchasing new cells is prohibitively expensive. So, might be time for a new drill. Early lithium batteries weren't up to the task. Are the newer ones reliable? Do they use balance chargers? If not, doesn't that guarantee early battery failure? The Kobalt brand has taken the electronics out of the battery pack and put it in the drill. Looks like only three contacts. That seems like a failure sooner than later. Anybody have experience with the Kobalt 24-volt brand at Lowes? They have a $10 lithium battery pack. They have brushless motors. I like the idea, but it seems like a lot more stuff to fail. I'm a light user. I've never had a cordless tool fail. It's ALWAYS the battery. I won't be using it much, so don't need super quality, just want it to work when I need it. I don't want to spend a fortune, so looking at the stuff you get at Lowes or home depot on sale. Recommendations? Thanks Bought a Rockwell 3rill sometime back for ~$100. Free replacement batteries for the life of the tool. It does everything I need around the house. Drill/driver/impact modes with two batteries. Bigger jobs I can pull out the corded Milwaukee. https://www.rockwelltools.com/drills-drivers.html Those drills have free batteries for 20 years -- 20V Good luck. |
#30
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Recommendation for cordless drill/saw??
I have a big pile of 20 year old cordless drills and saws.
I have a big pile of batteries. So, might be time for a new drill. Early lithium batteries weren't up to the task. Are the newer ones reliable? Anybody have experience with the Kobalt 24-volt brand at Lowes? I won't be using it much, so don't need super quality, just want it to work when I need it. I don't want to spend a fortune, so looking at the stuff you get at Lowes or home depot on sale. You get what you pay for. The money you have spent on that "pile" of drills and batteries would have been better invested in a good quality tool that lasts. I have had exactly TWO cordless drills over the last 16 years or so. The first was an 18V Craftsman brand. It worked well but the NimH batteries didn't hold up as well. I had to buy new batteries every few years and they weren't cheap. Several years ago I bought a Dewalt 20V drill with lithium batteries. So far I haven't had to replace a single battery. They all hold a charge as well as the day I bought it. Over the years I've added a variety of Dewalt 20V tools to my collection, including lights and impact drivers. I recommend staying with the major brands, Dewalt, Milwaukie, Bosch, etc. as you can buy them just about anywhere. This lets you shop around for the best price and replacement batteries and other tools are widely available. I typically buy mine online from Amazon and they get shipped right to my door. If you buy a store brand like Kobalt, Rigid, Ryobi, etc. you're basically stuck buying them at the one store (Home Depot or Lowes). You can't shop around for better pricing or better selection, and if the store is out of stock you're out of luck. Based on my own experience, I would choose Dewalt's 20V tools. Good luck! Anthony Watson www.watsondiy.com www.mountainsoftware.com |
#31
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Recommendation for cordless drill/saw??
I have a big pile of 20 year old cordless drills and saws.
I have a big pile of batteries. So, might be time for a new drill. Early lithium batteries weren't up to the task. Are the newer ones reliable? Anybody have experience with the Kobalt 24-volt brand at Lowes? I won't be using it much, so don't need super quality, just want it to work when I need it. I don't want to spend a fortune, so looking at the stuff you get at Lowes or home depot on sale. You get what you pay for. The money you have spent on that "pile" of drills and batteries would have been better invested in a good quality tool that lasts. I have had exactly TWO cordless drills over the last 16 years or so. The first was an 18V Craftsman brand. It worked well but the NimH batteries didn't hold up as well. I had to buy new batteries every few years and they weren't cheap. Several years ago I bought a Dewalt 20V drill with lithium batteries. So far I haven't had to replace a single battery. They all hold a charge as well as the day I bought it. Over the years I've added a variety of Dewalt 20V tools to my collection, including lights and impact drivers. I recommend staying with the major brands, Dewalt, Milwaukie, Bosch, etc. as you can buy them just about anywhere. This lets you shop around for the best price and replacement batteries and other tools are widely available. I typically buy mine online from Amazon and they get shipped right to my door. If you buy a store brand like Kobalt, Rigid, Ryobi, etc. you're basically stuck buying them at the one store (Home Depot or Lowes). You can't shop around for better pricing or better selection, and if the store is out of stock you're out of luck. Based on my own experience, I would choose Dewalt's 20V tools. Good luck! Anthony Watson www.watsondiy.com www.mountainsoftware.com |
#32
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Recommendation for cordless drill/saw??
Any hi-voltage probe must be used with a voltmeter of the correct input impedance/resistance, as it acts as part of a voltage divider.
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#33
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Recommendation for cordless drill/saw??
mike wrote:
.... Anybody have experience with the Kobalt 24-volt brand at Lowes? They have a $10 lithium battery pack. They have brushless motors. I like the idea, but it seems like a lot more stuff to fail. I'm a light user. I've never had a cordless tool fail. It's ALWAYS the battery. I won't be using it much, so don't need super quality, just want it to work when I need it. I don't want to spend a fortune, so looking at the stuff you get at Lowes or home depot on sale. Recommendations? for something that doesn't get used much i'd never go with a battery operated device again. i had a cordless drill, but i ended up giving it away to someone who'd actually use it. by the time i needed it the batteries always lost their charge and by the time it would recharge i could do the job with a regular screw-em-driver. songbird |
#34
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Recommendation for cordless drill/saw??
i had a cordless drill, but i ended up giving
it away to someone who'd actually use it. by the time i needed it the batteries always lost their charge and by the time it would recharge i could do the job with a regular screw-em-driver. I just leave a battery on the charger so it's always ready to go when I need it. However, lithium batteries don't self drain the way the old Nimh or NiCad batteries did. I've had batteries sit unused for months and they still have a lot of usable power left in them. Also, I use my drill/driver in a lot of places far away from an electrical outlet. I could drag out an extension cord, but that's a real hassle for a small project. I have a really nice corded DW246 corded drill, but I only use it when I have a lot of drilling to do, or when I need the high torque for a 2-inch auger bit or something: https://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DW246-.../dp/B00002233G Anthony Watson www.watsondiy.com www.mountainsoftware.com |
#35
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Recommendation for cordless drill/saw??
On 4/4/17 2:02 AM, mike wrote:
Some cut. So, might be time for a new drill. Early lithium batteries weren't up to the task. Are the newer ones reliable? More cut. Take a look at the "other" on Ebay once you decide what brand and such you want. I got a good deal on a return out of the package. |
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